Meat-free March - Week 1 review, week 2 plan

Monday, 5 March 2012 | Admin

It's Monday again, so time to share our meal-plan for week 2 of meat-free March and a little review of the highlights of week 1.Last week went well overall and got off to a cracking start with the chilli, rosemary and cheese polenta chips and tomato sauce from Hugh Fernley what's his names book.I've never made polenta before but have seen it in lots of recipes and was looking forward to giving it a go. The recipe stated to use quick cook polenta but I had trouble finding this, so used coarse cornmeal which is apparently pretty much the same thing but just needs to be cooked a bit longer. Even better a 500g bag cost me the grand sum of 59p from my local health food shop.I prepared the polenta the night before, frying garlic, rosemary and a tiny bit of chilli, then adding veg stock to the polenta before cooking on the hob for about 30 mins. I spread the polenta into a tray to cool and set - even then it looked pretty good:Next day, I made the tomato sauce (bunging a couple of tins of tomatoes into a pan with a few flavourings, so really easy) and then pan-fried the polenta which I had cut into chips. As you can see, it actually looked like it was supposed to and even my fussy no2 son LOVED them (probably because they were chips of a fashion, LOL). So will definitely make this again.The only dishes which didn't go down so well with the kids were the veggie quesadillas and the salmon and green beans from Sunday. No 1 son and the baby ate both really well, but no2 son and no1 daughter picked through it. Never mind, you can never please all of the children, all of the time!Menu Plan Week 2Wednesday: Pasta, tuna, lemonThursday: Pinto Bean Chilli - similar recipe here(Hugh F-W)Friday: Chachouka http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/chachouka-with-duck-eggs-recipe(fish fingers & chips...)Saturday: Veggie PaellaSunday:Fish Pie (recipe below)Monday: Jacket Potato, Beans, Cheese, Tuna, ColeslawTuesday: Tomato, thyme, goats cheese tartKaty C's Fish pie:This super-easy recipe was shared by Katy C on our facebook page. If you've got any recipes to share, please leave a comment either here or on our facebook page....1kg (2lb) white potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks1 large onion, chopped200-250g tub Garlic & Herbs Extra-Light Soft Cheese350g Fish Pie Mix200g Cooked & Peeled Prawnshandful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped1tbsp olive oil100ml (3½fl oz) fish or vegetable stock1tbsp cornflourMethodPreheat the oven to gas 5, 190ºC, fan 170ºC. Put the potatoes in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Drain and mash, adding a little milk if you wish. Season with salt and pepper.Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the onion for 5-10 minutes, until softened. Add the soft cheese and the stock and combine well.Blend the cornflour with 2 teaspoons of cold water and stir into the sauce. Cook for a few more minutes until thickened. Add the fish pie mix and cook for 2 minutes before stirring in the prawns and parsley.Pour into an oven dish and top with the mash. Cook for 25-30 minutes until piping hot.